Protests against Novartis Mass Dismissals

On Saturday 24 November a large demonstration is planned in Basel by the largest Swiss Trade Unions, Unia & Syna, as well as the Swiss employee associations.

Some leading Swiss politicians are also expected at the event to address the protesters.

The protests are in reaction to the announced mass dismissals by Novartis affecting more than 2100 employees in Switzerland.

“People before profits” is the motto of the event on Saturday. The organizers also highlight in their flyer that the redundancies also affects communities, suppliers and other companies in Switzerland.

The organizers and affected local governments also found Novartis behavior outrageous as they were not informed or consulted properly in advance. Local governments especially because have always bent over backwards to provide Novartis with good locations and the necessary infrastructure to prosper.

The organizers also call the job cuts unnecessary, because it appears that Novartis retains billion in profits and can theoretically do without the layoffs. However, the organizers do not know if this is a foreboding of a downturn in business?

"The announced radical job cuts are a major blow to the economy of the region of Northwestern Switzerland. We want to show solidarity with those affected, "says Daniel Christen of Swiss Employees association. In addition to the Novartis employees, their families and relatives were also affected, further commented Daniel Christen.
SYNA commented that “Novartis must take its social responsibility seriously”
Employee dismissals are expected to be completed in four years. Most affected are the locations in Basel, Stein, Schweizerhalle, Locarno and Rotkreuz. The hardest hit is Basel where 1,000 jobs are removed and Schweizerhalle where half the jobs are apparently unnecessary.

According to Novartis, this step is necessary because the only way the company can maintain its competitiveness.